National Historic Site ID,WA

Minidoka

National Historic Site ID,WA

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Interpretive Trail and Exhibit Panels

Visitors to the 2012 Minidoka Pilgrimage walk along the trail.

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Interpretive Trail and Exhibit Panels

Minidoka National Historic Site is in the process of development.Visitors to the historic site can now explore the story of the incarceration of Japanese Americans at Minidoka War Relocation Center during World War II by walking the 1.6 mile interpretive trail. Twenty three outdoor exhibit panels tell the story of the people, the historic structures, and the cultural landscape that is preserved at the site.

Historic images, quotations by former incarcerees, audio units, and diagrams help visitors understand the complex story of the forced removal and relocation of almost 13,000 people from western Washington and Oregon and Alaska to Idaho.

The interpretive exhibit panels tell varied stories: the fear and prejudice facing people of Japanese ancestry before and after Pearl Harbor; the relocation of Japanese Americans from their homes to assembly centers and finally to Minidoka; the uncertainty among those incarcerated as to their future; the creation of the seventh largest city in Idaho; everyday life in the camp; loyalty and sacrifice; and the transformation of sagebrush desert into productive agricultural land.

Construction of the interpretive trail began in the spring of 2011. Local contractors graded the trail, laid the surface, and installed the benches. As portions of the trail were constructed, park staff and volunteers installed the interpretive panels.

Ten benches were installed along the trail to give visitors a chance to rest and reflect upon the history of the site. The trail was completed in 2012. The new trail utilizes portions of the historic pathways. about the trail which winds through sections of the administrative and residential

Three trailhead signs provide visitors with a map and information sections of the camp. Directional signs point walkers to specific buildings and landscapes.